written

I had family here for spring break. It was chaotic, but lovely. I was so happy to have my parents and my brother and his family here. We enjoyed the beach, albeit a little chilly still, bird sanctuary, a park, and other delights of living in South Texas.
Today I made my daughters dresses out of a skirt that was too big for me. I think they turned out so cute!
Surprise! I wanted to tell all my friends about something exciting! I have written two novels! At this time it is proving to be too difficult to find an agent, and so, I am thinking of alternatives to publishing. Viola! My blog! I will be putting one chapter at a time on my blog for your enjoyment. I had the most fun writing these books! My poor children were a bit annoyed by my dedication to writing, but they accepted it gracefully.
Anyway! I am hoping that all of you will be excited about this little adventure. My books draw upon the diverse cultures I was raised in or experienced growing up.

Chapter 1. Anna

    Anna did a little spin in front of her full length mirror. Her full, white taffeta gown swished as she turned. She ran her fingers over the Spanish lace that overlaid the bodice. “I should have gone with the green flowers to match my eyes,” she thought as she admired her long auburn hair. It was arranged in a fancy up-do and accented with blue rhinestone flowers. “Oh well, I guess blue is a more traditional accent for a wedding.” She lifted her dress and smiled at her whimsical shoes. She had decided on white satin flats with a blue bow fastened over the toes. “No one will even see my lovely shoes; since this dress is so long.” She glanced again in the mirror and noticed another reflection. Her gorgeous, blonde groom was watching her from the   doorway. “You are not supposed to see me before the wedding!” she exclaimed. He merely smiled and walked toward her. As he walked, he smelled of strong, black coffee. “Wait, why in the world would he smell like coffee?”

    The fragrance of coffee wafting into her room became too strong to ignore. Anna opened her eyes and lamented that her dream wedding had been just that: a dream. She sat up on the edge of her bed and poked her feet into her fuzzy pink slippers. Going to the closet, she let out a loud yawn and then looked around to see if she had been caught in the act. She heard a pan bang in the kitchen and figured she was safe. “Ugh, this has to be the most boring wardrobe in Tennessee. I don’t see why we have to dress this way just for our customers.” She donned a light blue and pink plaid shirt and a faded ankle length jean skirt. She brushed her hair back into a pony tail and went to the kitchen. “Good morning, sweetie,” her mother said as Anna made her way to the coffee pot that had interrupted her dream world. “Hey mom, I was just thinking, why do we have to dress like this just for our customers?” she asked. “Well, you know the saw mill is very important to your daddy and we just can’t keep it going without the business from the Mennonite and Amish folks. We thought we would have to shut it down a few years ago. Your daddy wouldn’t know what to do if he had to leave this little corner of Tennessee,” she said and then turned back to the scrambled eggs she was watching. “Speaking of your daddy, he is already at work, but you come have a good breakfast before you head over there,” she added.

    Anna was full and warm as she walked down the driveway to the saw mill that had been in her family for several generations. Throughout the day, she day-dreamed about the beautiful wedding dress and handsome groom that had occupied her dreams. “At this rate, though, I’ll never get married. I’m already twenty-two and haven’t even met anyone yet!” She loved helping her father, but the solitude grated her. It was always the same sort of people who came into the shop. Men with large families who needed lumber for some farm project or other.

    She picked up her library book from the shelf under the ancient cash register and dove fully into the adventure that the lines on the page held. She was just getting to a climax in the story when the bell on the shop door clanged. A new face came through the door and Anna had no idea that her life was about to change forever. The man introduced himself as John Muller and he had come from Platzville, about thirty miles away. He had a large project he was working on and wanted to get the lumber a little at a time from the Nathan Saw Mill. Bill Nathan, Anna’s father, was thrilled to have a new client and the promise of continued business. Over the weeks that passed, Anna became acquainted with several of John’s sons and daughters when he would send them to pick up lumber. Of them, she like Mary and Rachel the most and tried her best to get to know them. This proved difficult because of their brief visits in the shop.

Let me know if you enjoyed this! Stay tuned for chapter 2!

This book is copyrighted. By the way, my book is called Road to Pseumish.